Late Basket Lifts Moorcroft Over Lusk [VIDEO]

Highlights of the Saturday, February 16th Boys Basketball game, between #3 Lusk at #5 Moorcroft.

Scroll down to watch highlights of the game.

Needing a win to restore momentum going into the regional tournament, the Wolves get it, when they needed it.

I know somebody that’s going have a major sugar rush all game long…actually both teams in these highlights played like it as well.

#3 Lusk at #5 Moorcroft…first quarter…Lusk wearing the red…Travis Smith wants to make a 3-point delivery and it was smooooth…that’s a good way to start and his team is on the board first.

Moorcroft preferred to do their scoring on the run…case in point…this is Levi Peterson with a running one handed lay in…for 2 of his 10…and the Wolves would take the lead, 4-to-3.

The home team had a few game plans and here’s one of them…someone forgot about Aaron Smith and he let himself in the backdoor and helped himself to the first 2 of many points for him…his team is up 6-to-5.

…and they had a long range attack of their own…sort of…Justin Jones from about 18 feet and that’s a long basket for just 2 points, but they’ll take it for now, because his team is up 8-to-7.

The opposition meanwhile just had to be in the right place at the right time once in awhile. Kevin Christianson scoops up the loose ball…hoop and 1 more…this was a good tune-up game for the regional tournament, and now the Tigers go back up 9-to-8.

The Wolves would make the first small run of the contest…check out the assist from Petersen to Jones…that’s how you pull off a 1-2 combination…and that would give their squad a 14-9 advantage.

Things were going back and forth for awhile…which was to be expected. Christianson is going to weave his way through the D for another 2 of his 16 points…and that made things a little closer…down 14-to-11…but there was just a few seconds left on the clock and that’s all that Petersen needs…he’ll score in a hurry ahead of the buzzer to get those 2 points back…and Moorcroft was up 16-to-11 after the first 8 minutes.

2nd quarter…Lusk had the height advantage in this game…with 6 players at 6 feet or taller…that means guys like Christianson could easily rise to the occasion…now his team trails by 3…it’s 16-13.

But what the Wolves lacked in size…they made up with speed and skill…as you’re about to find out. Aaron Smith puts out a quick burst and he’ll get in for 2, to push the advantage up to 18-13…then he’ll double his pleasure and double his fun…back court steal and he’ll coast in for another quick bucket…he led all scorers with 23, and now he has his team up 20-to-13.

How about a little defense now? Christianson and Austin Cox are the same height…so the best thing to do is hit them from behind. That ball is going to the wall, and the opposition needed a new game plan.

Moorcroft was running a like a pack of wolves at times…they’ll feed it ahead to Smith on this play and the senior will take care of the rest…the lead is at its biggest…9 points, with the score at 22-to-13.

However, it did not take long for Lusk to catch up…they just had to stay after it. Travis Smith gets rejected the first time, but the ball did not go anywhere, so he’ll pick up where he left off and will get his score…that got his team back to within 2…it’s 22-to-20.

So, the home team got back to work on building another lead…Kyle Ver Burg adds to the cause with a fade-away jumper…he scored in double digits with 15, and that would push the score up to 26-20.

The Wolves were getting new players in on the scoring act…Colton Richter take the assist and deposit a bucket for his team…and now it’s a 28-20 contest.

The lead was swelling again and Ver Burg is going to cap it off on this play…he’ll get around one defender and put in another 2…and his squad is looking pretty good with a 30-to-20 advantage.

Slowly but surely…the Tigers would regroup…Travis Smith thought about the jumper…then decided to get a little closer. He led his team with 17 and the visitors found themselves trailing 30-to-24 going into the locker room.

3rd quarter…Lusk unleashed one their smaller guys and it paid off…this is Matt VandeBossche…finding the left side is pretty wide open, so he’ll run his route and score to get his team closer…down 30-to-26.

Moorcroft needed a plan before the lead disappeared…and this one was a beauty…the defense was too late to catch up to Aaron Smith…he’ll get the whistle but did not convert…the advantage is 6 points…it’s 32-26.

The opposition though was clawing their way back into this one…Hunter Dockery is going to let one fly and he’ll connect for 3…looks like that one hurt just a little bit. He’d shake it off…and the visitors are down 2…it’s 33-31.

Lusk would eventually tie the score up and then they’d go to the bench…here’s Derick VandeBossche…scoring in traffic…that 10 point deficit is now a memory, and the visitors now have a lead…up 35-33.

For awhile…the pendulum would go one way…then it want the other…it’s the home team’s turn…Ver Burg will slip in for another basket…and that gives his team the lead back…at 37-35.

The Tigers were starting to feel the squeeze from the defense, but they’d get out of it...and then they’d have a 2-on-1…Aaron Smith scores and gets the whistle…things are dead even on the scoreboard at 37.

At times Moorcroft was just flat out sneaky…somehow they’d find a way to get behind the defense for easy scores…Cox will provide an example on this highlight…the Wolves retake the advantage again…43-40.

However the visitors would hang around and not go away…Christianson with a little game of catch and shoot and gets the 2 right as the buzzer goes off…we got ourselves a close one here…Tigers trail 45-44, going into the final 8 minutes.

4th quarter…the score would stay close through-out…Ver Burg has some agility and that will pay off with 2 and 1 more…the 3 point play gives the home team a 50-to-48 lead.

Back come the Tigers...and their bench…it’s Denton Shaw…a sophomore announcing his presence on this jumper…and that would put his team ahead…52-50.

I told you earlier that Moorcroft arguably had more agility…and you got to see what Aaron Smith does on this one…jukes a defender drives…and watch the finish…that was awesome…this game is tied again at 52 points a-piece.

The game eventually went into free throw mode on both sides…before the Wolves decided that they needed to make a play…and they had to, down 1…Jones nearly lost it…recovers…and gets it to Peterson who will strike with a little less than 5 seconds to go…that was the difference maker. Moorcroft needed this one, because they had lost 4 of 5 coming in…and would get a big momentum booster heading into the regional tournament…final score…60-to-59.